Welcome to this episode of Nursing EDge Unscripted Saga where we journey through the history of nursing education using stories that connect the past to the present and then our future as we reimagine our teaching and learning. October is the birth month of Brigadier General Hazel Johnson-Brown. Nurse, educator, innovator, and mentor, she became the first black female general in the United States army and the first black chief of the United States Army Nurse Corps.
General Johnson-Brown's story is one of dedication to duty, persistence in pursuing her dream of being a nurse, and commitment to excellence in clinical practice and educational advancement. Hazel Johnson was born on October 10, 1927 in West Chester, Pennsylvania. She grew up on a farm with her four brothers and two sisters. Discipline, diligence, unity, and the pursuit of education were important
household values. After graduating from high school at the top of her class, Hazel set a goal to become a nurse and applied to Chester County Hospital School of Nursing in Pennsylvania where she was denied admission for being black. Yet Hazel was determined. Steadfast in her resolve and transcending many obstacles, she moved to New York City and enrolled in the Harlem Hospital School of Nursing, graduating in 1950.
After graduation, Hazel worked at the Harlem Hospital and then at the Philadelphia Veterans Administration Hospital. While working at the VA, Hazel joined the Army Nurse Corps serving first at Walter Feed Army Medical Center and subsequently in Camp Zama, Japan. She received funding through the Army Nurse Corps Registered Nurse Student Program, which offered financial assistance for those nurses with a nursing diploma who were pursuing a baccalaureate.
She earned her BSN from Villanova University in 1959. Hazel then moved to San Francisco and taught aspiring nurses in the operating room nurse course at Letterman General Hospital. Always focused on expanding educational horizons and recognizing that she needed a foundation in teaching and learning best practices, Hazel spent the next year at Columbia University's Teachers College where she earned a master's
degree in nursing education in 1973. The army encouraged Hazel to begin coursework for a PhD at Catholic University of America. Subsequently, she became Director and Assistant Dean of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Nursing. Concurrently she researched, wrote, and defended her dissertation in 1978. The following year, she was nominated to become the 16th Chief of the Army Nurse Corps with an accompanying promotion to Brigadier General. This
was an extraordinary achievement. General Johnson became the first African American and the first Chief with an earned doctorate in the Department of Defense to achieve that distinction. Two years before retiring from the Army, Johnson married David Brown and the 16th Chief of the Army Nurse Corps became Brigadier General Hazel Johnson-Brown. While leading the Army Nurse Corps, her accomplishments were diverse and legendary.
She fostered the opening of access to academic scholarships for Reserve Officer Training Corps nursing students and established a clinical nursing summer camp for ROTC cadets. She published the first standards of practice for the Army Nurse Corps. She implemented quality assurance measures in treatment facilities instilling a commitment to evidence-based practice. She actively encouraged army nurses to implement,
research, write, and publish their findings. She was instrumental in establishing the first strategic planning conference to ensure that army nurses had shared responsibility for planning the immediate future of the Corps. Because of her strong commitment to educational advancement for army nurses, she replaced Army Nurse Corps specialty courses with graduate education in civilian academic institutions.
General Johnson-Brown was a force - a dedicated strategist who changed forever the trajectory of the Army Nurse Corps. She believed in the power of nursing and the strategic role army nurses play leading best practices while pursuing higher education. She retired from the Army Nurse Corps in 1983. General Johnson-Brown died in Wilmington, Delaware in 2011.
During her lifetime, she was honored with numerous awards including the distinguished service medal, the legion of merit, the meritorious service medal, and the army commendation medal. Her legacy is immortalized in the National Museum of African American History in Washington, DC. This honor is a tribute to the historic role she played in both African American and military history. Her military uniform is
displayed proudly. She is quoted as saying, General Johnson-Brown's words echo the NLN's core value of excellence, which calls for a culture where transformation is embraced and the status quo is not tolerated. It is an honor to recognize General Johnson-Brown's legacy and historical relevance through the Saga series. She is an icon and a trailblazer and her contributions to nursing practice and to nursing education are remarkable.
And so the saga continues. And may our saga continue as we bring to an end this episode of Nursing EDge Unscripted Saga. Thank you for joining us.